do not resist; do not force

On my office wall are two post-it notes. The first I wrote down in a moment of deeper revelation. It says, "do not resist." The second post-it I wrote in like manner only moments later, "do not force." I've been looking at these post-it notes for about two weeks now.

Then I was reading in John and one verse struck me and made me think on the character of Jesus. It's a verse that occurs just after Jesus has fed the five thousand. It reads, "So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone" (John 6:15). I looked at that phrase--that they wanted to take Him "by force to make Him king," and I think, how insane! The crowd is insane! Here they are, admitting to each other that Jesus is the "Prophet who is to come into the world" (John 6:14), and they think they have to take him "by force!" If they really believe he is the "Prophet who is to come into the world," they should know they do not have to force him to become the "Prophet who is to come into the world!" They either aren't believing their own words about Jesus, or they don't believe the word of God concerning the prophet who is to come into the world. But why would they even want a king that they have to force?

Of course, the answer is because even his own followers want to do with Jesus as they please. And isn't this the way it still is? Aren't we still trying to force Jesus into doing something, that, yes, may be the will of God, but maybe the timing isn't right, or maybe our methods aren't right, or maybe the location or people aren't right--or just maybe it's not even the will of God at all, anyhow. Yet we try to force him to do what we want him to do--in our time, in our way! But Jesus is not a king who will be forced.

What happened when the people tried to force him? He "withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone." He withdrew from the people. He withdrew to the mountain, where he would likely spend time with God. He withdrew! If you need something, don't force Jesus, don't try to coerce--even if you see in the word that it's his will. Jesus is not a man that will be forced. Better yet, I love the understated way in which he simply "withdrew" from the crowd. A person need not resist who turns to the Lord.

Nothing shakes Jesus--not praise from man, insults or persecution from man, not storms, angry mobs, not a wooden cross. He stands firm, though he does not resist, and he will not force, nor be forced.